This invention relates to a female terminal with improved corrosion resistance, a connecting structure of the female terminal suited for connection, for example, to an aluminum wire, and a wire harness which is enhanced in connection performance by using this female terminal.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing one related electric connection member described in JP-A5-47429.
The electric connection member, shown in FIG. 4, is in the form of a connection terminal, and this electric connection member includes a conductor clamping portion 51 for receiving and holding a conductor 50 of an end-processed cable 49, an insulator clamping portion 55 provided rearwardly of the conductor clamping portion 51 so as to receive and hold an insulator 52 of the end-processed cable 49, and a fitting portion 54 provided forwardly of the conductor clamping portion 51 (that is, at a distal end portion) so as to fit on a mating terminal (i.e., a mating connection member) (not shown) to be electrically connected thereto. The electric connection member, shown in FIG. 4, is in the form of a female terminal, while the mating connection member (not shown) is in the form of a male terminal.
Projections 56 are formed on an inner side of the insulator clamping portion 55 of the electric connection member, and when the insulator clamping portion 55 is press-fastened on an outer surface of the insulator 52, these projections 52 are pressed against the insulator 52. The length of the insulator clamping portion 55 in a direction of the outer periphery of the insulator 52 is smaller than the length of the outer periphery of the insulator 52.
Generally, a copper wire is used as a wire for a wire harness, and a plurality of copper wires or cables are bundled together to form a wire harness. A connection terminal for connection to such a copper wire is formed by a copper sheet or a copper alloy sheet.
In the above related connection terminal, however, when a so-called aluminum wire is used as the cable 49 for a wire harness (in which case the conductor 50 is made of an aluminum material) in order to achieve a lightweight design of the wire harness, it has been commonly thought that it is impossible to electrically connect the cable 49 and the connection terminal together in a satisfactory and positive manner.
This will be described in detail. When the aluminum conductor 50 of the cable 49 is connected to the connection terminal made of a material different from the aluminum material, there is a fear that there is encountered a disadvantage that a potential difference or the like develops between the two, so that electric corrosion occurs.
And besides, when an aluminum material is used to form a connection spring piece (not shown) designed to ensure the positive electrical contact between the connection terminal and the mating terminal (not shown), there is a fear that this connection spring piece fails to produce a sufficient contact force for holding the connection terminal and the mating terminal in the positively electrically-connected condition, since the connection spring piece, made of the aluminum material, has insufficient spring properties. Therefore, there is a fear that the connection terminal is not kept in positive electrical contact with the mating terminal (not shown), so that the incomplete contact between the two occurs.